Julienne Smith
Head of Americas Growth, Hyatt
Julienne Smith is Head of Americas Growth at Hyatt Hotels Corporation, where she leads the strategic expansion of Hyatt’s portfolio across North, Central, and South America. In this role, she oversees development initiatives for Hyatt’s Luxury, Lifestyle, Classics, and Essentials brands and works closely with hotel owners, investors, and development partners to accelerate the company’s long-term growth strategy across the region.
Smith brings more than two decades of hospitality industry experience, with deep expertise
in hotel development, market strategy, owner relations, and brand expansion. She has built
and led large, high-performing teams responsible for development pipelines spanning
multiple countries and market segments.
Prior to joining Hyatt in her current role, Smith served as Chief Development Officer for the
Americas at IHG Hotels & Resorts. There, she led a team of more than 70 development
professionals responsible for franchise sales, hotel management agreement negotiations,
asset retention, market planning, and owner marketing across the region. During her
tenure, she played a key role in strengthening IHG’s owner community and bringing several
new brands to market across the Americas.
Earlier in her career, Smith spent 14 years with Hyatt Hotels Corporation, most recently
serving as Senior Vice President of Development and Owner Relations. She played a
significant role in expanding Hyatt’s select-service hotel portfolio, identifying and
cultivating new ownership relationships while negotiating agreements across the United
States and Canada.
Smith began her career with Marriott International in development planning and franchise
sales, supporting new hotel projects and evaluating market opportunities across North
America.
Beyond her corporate leadership, Smith is actively involved in the hospitality and real
estate communities. She serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for Boston University’s Schoolof Hospitality and participates in the Urban Land Institute’s Hotel Development Council. She
is also a frequent speaker at major industry conferences, including the Hunter Hotel
Conference, the Americas Lodging Investment Summit, and the NYU Hospitality Investment
Conference. She is also recently joined the board of Procure Impact, a social impact
procurement company.
Smith has also dedicated significant time to nonprofit leadership. She previously served as
Chair of the AHLA Foundation, which supports scholarships and career opportunities for
the hospitality workforce, and has held board roles with SafeHouse Outreach and
Kaleidoscope, Inc., organizations focused on community and social services. She is
currently an active volunteer with Passion City Church.
Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University and completed post-secondary
studies in Mainz, Germany. She is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
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